Jessie Noseworthy, Liam Hickey, Team Gushue named St. John's athletes of the year

Jessie Noseworthy, Liam Hickey, Team Gushue named St. John's athletes of the year

Jessie Noseworthy, Liam Hickey, Team Gushue named St. John's athletes of the year

The City of St. John's handed out its athlete of the year awards Monday night, honouring the woman, man and team that committee members felt best represented athletic excellence.

Jessie Noseworthy

Soccer player Jessie Noseworthy was voted female athlete for the year, being recognized for leading her club team, Holy Cross, in scoring last year. She also played for the Memorial University team and finished third in scoring in Atlantic Canada.

Noseworthy was thrilled to pick up the award Monday night. "It's really great. I think it's a testament to how great our teams played this year, both MUN and Holy Cross," she said. "It was really a team effort I think."

Soccer player Alyssa Armstrong and volleyball athlete Jill Snow were also nominated in the category.

Liam Hickey

Liam Hickey was chosen as male athlete of the year for his accomplishments in wheelchair basketball and sledge hockey.

Hickey represented Canada at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio for wheelchair basketball and was also just recently picked for the sledge hockey Paralympic team in South Korea next month.

"It's obviously a huge honour to be able to represent my country again, it means a lot," he told the St. John's Morning Show on Tuesday from his training camp in Ontario.

"My family, friends, everyone has done so much to help me get to this point. It's just super exciting to get this opportunity."

Hockey player Tyler Boland and runner Colin Fewer were also nominated for the award.

Team Gushue

The curling team led by Brad Gushue was named the top sports team in the city of St. John's for 2017.

It's the second straight year for curling champions Team Gushue to win the award, and team members Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker were at City Hall for the ceremony.

Gallant says winning for the past year was a huge honour, especially following their first ever win at the Brier in front of the home crowd in St. John's last March.

"It's pretty cool to be recognized especially for the year we had with the Brier. The Brier is an event we are probably never going to forget for the rest of our lives, it's so special to us.

Gallant and the rest of Team Gushue travel to Regina next month to defend their Brier title, something Walker said should be a little less intense than in 2017.

"I think maybe we will be a little bit more relaxed," he said. "Because it's not obviously in St. John's we don't have as much pressure as last year, but we're still going to go in and give it 100 per cent."

Rugby group Atlantic Rock U19 and soccer club Holy Cross Avalon Ford Women were also nominated in the team category.